foundry equipment, refrigerators and freezers, washing machines,
hosiery, refined sugar, vegetable oil, shoes, textiles

Agriculture: accounts for about 40% of GDP; Moldova's principal
economic activity; products are vegetables, fruits, wine, grain, sugar
beets, sunflower seed, meat, milk, tobacco

Illicit drugs: illicit cultivator of opium poppy and cannabis; mostly
for CIS consumption; transshipment point for illicit drugs to Western
Europe

Economic aid:
recipient: joint EC-US loan (1993), $127 million; IMF STF credit
(1993), $64 million; IMF stand-by loan (1993), $72 million; US
commitments (1992-93), $61 million in humanitarian aid, $11 million in
technical assistance; World Bank loan (1993), $60 million; Russia
(1993), 50 billion ruble credit; Romania (1993), 20 billion lei credit

Currency: the leu (plural lei) was introduced in late 1993

Exchange rates: lei per US$1 - 4.277 (22 December 1994)

Fiscal year: calendar year

@Moldova:Transportation

Railroads:
total: 1,150 km in common carrier service; does not include industrial
lines
broad gauge: 1,150 km 1.520-m gauge (1990)

Highways:
total: 20,000 km
paved or graveled: 13,900 km
unpaved: earth 6,100 km (1990)

Pipelines: natural gas 310 km (1992)

Ports: none

Airports:
total: 26
with paved runways over 3,047 m: 1
with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
with paved runways under 914 m: 3
with unpaved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
with unpaved runways 1,524 to 2,438 m: 2
with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 5
with unpaved runways under 914 m: 8

@Moldova:Communications

Telephone system: 577,000 telephones; 134 telephones/1,000 persons;
telecommunication system not well developed; 215,000 unsatisfied
requests for telephone service (1991)
local: NA
intercity: NA
international: international connections to the other former Soviet
republics by land line and microwave radio relay through Ukraine, and
to other countries by leased connections to the Moscow international
gateway switch; 1 EUTELSAT and 1 INTELSAT earth station

Radio:
broadcast stations: AM NA, FM NA, shortwave NA
radios: NA

Television:
broadcast stations: NA
televisions: NA

@Moldova:Defense Forces

Branches: Ground Forces, Air and Air Defense Forces, Republic Security
Forces (internal and border troops)

Manpower availability: males age 15-49 1,116,912; males fit for
mi